Full Moon Leo 2/10/17. Eclipse Season. Thoughts on Leo Leadership, and the Ego Axis.

Experiencing the Spectrum

Crazy times. Horrific times. Confusing, and amazing times.  Have you been able to locate yourself inside all of it?

That’s what this full moon in Leo is all about. You’ll read a lot about full moon energy that pits the sun against the moon, and see a lot of the abbreviation, “vs.” When I interpret full moons, I think of experiencing the full spectrum of one concept instead of pitting the opposite ends against each other.

You cannot talk about Leo without talking about Aquarius, and during a full moon, you cannot talk about the moon without talking about the light it reflects from the sun.

Leo	Aquarius
Authoritarian	Consensus
Nobility	Proletariat
Heart	Mind
Passionate love	Brotherly love
Emotional expression	Conceptual ingenuity
Creation	Innovation
Integration	Decentralization
Personal	Public

and so on.

Believe it of not, this Leo moon looks radiant. Auspicious. Full of love and heart centered creativity. It looks like catching your own reflection in the mirror by surprise, and, not only loving what you see, but, noticing something new about yourself; something you’d like to share with others.

It looks like the perfect weather for creation. It’s a fertile time. A baby boom. Children of the body, the mind, the heart, or, the earth. Making a unique contribution to the whole.

Of course, you know, astrology is only weather. If it’s not married to your free will and consciousness, it goes unnoticed. Leo energy that’s left unattended by an adult can just spiral into constant applause-seeking, pageantry, narcissism, and DRAMA.  Well directed, Leo energy is all about productive manifestations of love and leadership. LEADERSHIP, as in caring for your crew and integrating them. Leadership is not a rank. Leadership is not the top-down distribution of orders. Leadership is not making decisions on the behalf of others. Leadership is inspiring others to do their own work with you.

Fun astro homework for students: Our last four presidents have strong Leo signatures: George W. Bush, Leo rising; Donald Trump, Leo rising; Bill Clinton, Leo Sun; Barack Obama, Leo Sun. Do a character study.

Leo wants to interact with and permeate a given social order or structure with their unique expression. Aquarius wants the unconventional and anarchic, rejecting limitation from any established order. This is the ego axis. Along this axis we do everything from exulting the ego to sublimating it.

If you have a strong Leo or Aquarius signature in your chart, you can find yourself swinging from one extreme to the other this month. We all have Leo and Aquarius represented somewhere in our chart. Eclipse season can bring about much emotional intensity for everyone.

Eclipses are portals to new cycles, so they are extremely energetic. They usher in massive change. Clean breaks with the past, and startling new beginnings. They are cosmic ass-kickers.

How to survive eclipse season?  Instead of looking for comfort in an outwardly, well-defined extreme, go inward. Try to sit in the middle of this axis, and consciously observe (Aquarius) how your buttons are being pushed. Create a way (Leo) to hold the best principles of both extremes at the same time…it is one concept after all. Two sides of the same coin. Make something out of that.

All of that warm, loving Leo energy is meaningless without its implementation and usefulness by and to the group. All of the genius, groundbreaking Aquarian concepts will remain just that…concepts, without emotional relevance.

What will you do with your strong urges to create and be recognized?

What new things do you notice when you look in the mirror?

How will you change and/or cultivate these new aspects of self?

 RAWR!

New Moon Aquarius Astro Report: What a weekend! How about next weekend?

New Moon Aquarius January 27^th

More work to do. TOGETHER.

Could there be a better energy for the current socio-political climate. (The answer is no.) Aquarius is the cool customer of the zodiac. Detached. Dispassionate. Aquarius is also quite complex. While, on the one hand it’s about the populace, equanimity, and fairness to a fault, it also has the reputation for eccentricity, individuality, and straight up rebellion. How can this be?

When working with Aquarius energy I like to think of the value of every “weird” part of every “strange” individual in the context of the whole. Aquarius is the other end of the spectrum of Leo’s energy (“I am most important because I’m most special”). Sorry Leo, I love you, but you get a juicy spotlight, loaded with an eclipse in a couple weeks. Aquarius on the other hand announces “We are all equally important because we are all so different.”  Every different type of person is needed for change. Every different type of experience is needed to understand our whole story. This energy will be strong for the following month regarding all endeavors that favor group effort, respecting (even extolling) differences, and re-distributing power and responsibility from a selected few to the many.

This time does not favor passion, but logic. Cool heads. Group effort for the benefit of the group. Aquarius is also a visionary energy. Forget about working creatively within an existing structure. This time favors epiphanies, break-throughs, break-outs, and break-downs! Tapping into information streams that we didn’t know existed. Until now. Busting through tired traditions and concretized systems that do not allow for the natural movement of the humans that live within them.

An exact Venus/Saturn square accompanies this new moon, so expect a side order of restriction, and an extra helping of “cold” during this period.  Not the warmest and fuzziest of times. But that’s ok. Let’s see what happens when we put our subjectivity and sentimentality on the backburner for a while. Mental clarity and objective decency toward our ALL humans, animals and our planet is a beautiful thing.

Mars comes home to Aries as well on this special Friday. There is massive energy with plenty of fight available to do all the work we need to do. There’s plenty to be angry about. But, to be effective, we have to channel that Aries aggression with the help of that very sober Venus/Saturn square. We have to consciously unite our power with EVERYONE else’s. You say you wanna revolution…

Still here. 2017.

Dear Body Intelligence, Astrology, and Other Projects friends,

Well, we’re still here. We’re alive. Which means we still have choices to make about the way we live our lives. I hope we’ll still be making some of those choices together in the coming year.

I want to thank you for your patronage, support, and friendship this past year.  It was a rough one.  Your trust in me is not taken for granted.  I know that I’m usually the first one to poke fun at myself for being “unorthodox,”  “experimental” or “professionally casual.”  But, your collective kindness and support has made it possible for me to maintain a small business in the midst of some radical leaps.

Around this time last year, I was prepping you all for a lot of “new.”  And, while there was a lot of  “new” that was thoughtfully planned, I also had a lot of “new” pop up unexpectedly.

The small farm and artist’s residency I co-manage, Gemini Hill, had an unexpected growth spurt, which has me living in the city part time more quickly than expected. And an emergency evacuation from my Brooklyn apartment has me in living in Manhattan for the first time in over a decade.

More opportunities to do work in a medical capacity popped up which had me in doctor’s offices, med schools and doing hands-on work more than I expected as well.  The new focus in the work is (hopefully) well explained on my new website.

I started finding new applications for astrology. Through teaching workshops and collaborating with others, I’m trying to find ways to share this work outside of one-on-one consultations. Been practicing my podcast/webcast skills with sex coach Myisha Battle. We have some sketches I'd be happy to share with you. Just email for the "secret codes."

And then there’s the writing. Those of you who know me a little better, know I’ve been struggling to dedicate more time to writing and performing my work. I think I made some headway in 2016 and would like to keep it up. Next reading is here.

And, you’re still here. Talking to me, studying with me, and that’s no small thing. I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart. Your flexibility and generosity only inspire me to give more back to you.

This has been a tumultuous year for so many of you as well, and THE WORLD. I don’t think we’ll see anything resembling calm or a status quo for a long time.  I hope to keep these communities together in whatever way I can, and show you as much generosity and flexibility as you’ve shown me. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need to move, breathe, talk, collaborate, or just hang. Being together is what matters most now.

I’ll finish up here. I hope we can create some new ways to be…that work. I really hope to see you soon, put our heads together, wrap our arms around each other, and navigate new territory. Together.

Love,

Cory

Astrology Basics Workshop: Archetype & Narrative

Hi There Astro Friends!

The time has come for me to help you learn to read your own charts!

For those of you who have been enjoying your readings and monthly Astro-Counseling, I would like to offer you another way to deepen your personal and creative work. Knowing how to study your own chart is a highly valuable skill that you can use in a variety of ways, and is a different experience than a reading or Astro-Counseling session.

Studying your own chart is a meditation and internal adventure. It’s navel-gazing with intention. It’s creating with purpose. We spend a lot of time looking out at the world and investing our energies in the external environment, interpreting ourselves through our daily activities and relationships with other people.

Working with your own chart offers a space for deep exploration of the self…with tools! It provides a time to honor your complexity; to know, understand, and integrate the many parts of yourself that are sometimes in conflict with each other, hidden, or exaggerated. It’s a great way to situate yourself in nature, develop a unique relationship with time, and discover new ways of seeing.

I would like to teach a beginner’s workshop this summer in late August or early September. If you are interested, please get in touch with me, with preferred times/dates. I will select a date that works for most people.

About Astrology Basics:

·      We will study planetary archetypes and astrological signs.

·      We will touch upon a few lenses to help you begin to construct narrative in your birth chart.

·      I would like to keep these workshops small (no more than 6).

·      We will be using your personal birth charts (unless you don’t want to, we’ll make up a fake one).

·      Yes, I would like to do this regularly, going forward. If I hear from more than 6 of you I will add   another workshop date.

·      If you are one of my west coast or nomadic clients, I would like to offer you a free workshop and reading if you host me in your hometown for a few days. I will also be taking reservations for private groups and special/advanced topics, i.e. relationships, Saturn return, etc.

Please spread the word to anyone who might be interested. More info: here

 

Love, SPF, and Hydration,

Cory

Body Intelligence Summer Fellowship. Apply Now!

Happy Almost-Summer!

Educators and bodyworkers of all stripes,

I’m happy to offer a paid summer fellowship to one practitioner who’s looking to advance their teaching skills. Read on for more info:

Looking for one special practitioner to study with me this summer, July-September, and possibly work with a couple of clients when I’m not available.

I’m open to practitioners who work in a variety of body-mind modalities. In fact, my only hard and fast requirements are X-Ray vision, a psychic scalpel, and commitment to facilitating deep transformation in those you work with (also, please have 5+ years of teaching/therapy experience, a passion for educating people, and continuing to develop your personal teaching practice). That's all! Preference given to former mentees and teacher training students.

Examples of modalities that I’m open to, include:

Pilates, yoga, Alexander technique, Feldenkrais, Zero Balancing, Klein technique, Body Mind Centering, Rolfing, Crainiosacral therapy, DermoNeuroModulation, and students from The Breathing Project.

Fellowship includes:

·      Travel /food stipend (provided by SGF Foundation)

·      Observation and practical study with me on real clients

·      Mentorship

·      Possible clients after study is completed

Focal point of study:

·      How to identify, create, and implement a course of movement treatment

·      How to cultivate an intimate and safe environment for clients to work in (and do it very quickly).

·      Given the subjects we’ll be working with, you’ll get a closer look at conditions like Scoliosis, chronic pain, anxiety disorder, and PTSD

Please email bodyintelligence@gmail.com for an application

My week in a DermoNeuroModulation think tank. Two DNM poems. One DNM Testimonial.

So, I spent most of last week in a DermoNeuroModulation (DNM) think tank with some outstanding manual and movement therapists. These people are also some of the most inspired thinkers working in the field of…the field of healthcare? Not quite. Wellness? Ok, that might be a little closer. How about biopsychosocial change? Yeah. That’s just going to have to do for now.

After a couple years of flirting with the concepts of DNM, and applying them to the work I do with you, I finally decided to go all in and drink the damn Kool-Aid. I am so happy that I decided to do the formal course.

DNM is not a new modality, movement language, or tool. I think we’ll all agree I speak enough “movement languages.”  What DNM is to me, is a worldview that is backed by hard science regarding the needs of an individual human being for optimal functioning with other human beings. I know. I know. Huh???? Well rest assured; I will be talking your ear off about this in more detail. For now, mull over a few bullet points:

·      DNM treats physiology instead of anatomy.

·      DNM uses touch, talk, and movement to create a context rich environment for sensory

     experience, and re-mapping of the nervous system.

·      DNM privileges the rehabilitation of sensory awareness before motor function.

As far as brass tacks are concerned, I firmed up my grasp of neuro/biomechanics, pain science, and manual manipulation skills. And, I’m just so excited to recommit myself to work that I’m passionate about.

You all know I only refer you to the best people, well, here are a couple more. I encourage you to contact them if you’d like to learn more about DNM.

“Michael Polon and ReyAllen have done something very impressive in their teaching of the DermoNeuroModualtion Advanced Course. They have managed to teach the hard science of neurobiology and pain science and integrate it with the poetry of being alive in a human body. They also managed to take the science and ground it in practical approaches to working with clients who have complex needs. As a participant, I’ve been able to use what I’ve learned in every aspect of my business, from marketing my services, to more specific applications of touch during a session.  Perhaps the most special thing about Rey and Michael as educators is their willingness to challenge everything, and everyone, including themselves. Courageous and rigorous thinking during a time when it’s most needed.”

 –Cory Nakasue, Movement therapist, educator, DNM Practitioner

Here’s  a poem I wrote last year when my back wasn’t, ahem, cooperating with me. I went to see Rey, and he started busting out the books on the intercostalbrachials that he so adores.

The Vice’s Grip is a Trick

Strictures wrapped in a cast of every move I’ve made

based on every want I’ve wanted.

You’d think motion would beget motion. Full stop.

Tracing the ridge where dough meets crag is the most painful place

the most painful place, the most healing place, the most healing place

the most mystical place.

The back of anything’s the most mystical place.

No one knows nothin’ ‘bout what’s stuck in the back.

As much as it takes one good shove to make something stick….

It really doesn’t happen “just like that.”

These things start with a tingle that I manage to ignore—to move around

move around the idea that every fist must unclench

move the idea around to the back of my mind (where the truth lies).

Move into my imagination (where the truth lies).

Pick the wrong thing and I stick. I’m stuck

until I unravel the mystery, untie the bind, unfurl the mind and

let go of any ideas about how I move.

Here’s a poem by Wallace Stevens that reminds me of the ideomotor.

I am now working on a poem about the “critter brain” that begins:

Fight, flight, feed, or fuck.

I’m talking indirectly right at you.

Listen up...

Availability April 18th-May 1st + Service updates!

First of all, you’ve made this transition super easy for me, and for that I thank you so much. Here are some more spring updates:

The rest of April is completely booked. Please consider putting your name on the waitlist, or taking one of the group classes I’m guest teaching at Flesh & Bone. It’s all listed below. I’m also happy to book standing appointments in advance. We’re looking into May for those.

A reminder about booking: please continue booking your private sessions and private group sessions through me, just as you have always done. If you would like to take a Flesh & Bone group Pilates class with me or any other teacher, please contact the studio.

GEEKING OUT!

One of the activities that’s taking up a lot of next week is my DermoNeuroModulation workshop. I know, I know, DermoNeuro What?!  I’ve already talked to a lot of you about this, and I have been incorporating many of these principles in our movement work over the past couple of years…especially in my clinical work. Succinctly, DNM is a nervous system based approach to manual therapy. I really believe that it is the new frontier in pain management and creating neuro/psychobiological change. What does this mean for you? When I reach out and touch you, it’s going to be a lot more specific and effective. You can read more about it here.

Talk soon,

C 

Availability 4/18-5/1

Monday, April 18^th

6PM Tribeca Class

Friday, April 22^nd

6PM Lower East Side PARTY!

Sunday, April 24^th

Noon Mat Pilates Class @ Flesh & Bone

Monday, April 26^th

6PM Tribeca Class

Wednesday, April 27^th

10:45AM Greenpoint Tattoo Co. Class

7PM Group Reformer Class @ Flesh & Bone

Sunday, May 1^st

Noon Mat Pilates @ Flesh & Bone